In a disclosure as early as 1928, the prior art GB 297 215 teaches of a multi-compartment repository for letter parcels and the like where a main door has incorporated therein small doors arranged to provide access to individual compartments. On each of these small doors is provided an insertion clot with a movable flap on the outside to the door as cover for the slot. The slots are further provided with arresting bars or steps to prevent unauthorised retrieval of delivered mail from the compartments. However, this prior art arrangement does not provide for stopping of delivery of junk mail.
Multi-compartment mailboxes are susceptible to misuse by persons delivering unwanted junk mail and measures have been proposed in an attempt to combat this. In particular, it has been proposed to provide an arrangement whereby the mail delivery flaps of the compartments are lockable all together and the legitimate mail delivery operative, hereinafter called the postman, has a master key which enables the mail delivery flaps to be unlocked all together so that legitimate mail can be delivered.
Such an anti-junk mail system is disclosed in GB-A-2289500 and has a mail delivery flap and a lockable mail collection door associated with each compartment of a multi-compartmented array, the lockable mail collection doors being operable by their respective keyholders, different occupants of the building for example, and there being a matrix array of orthogonal bars which can be moved in dependence upon the operation of a master key between positions where the horizontal bars obstruct the mail delivery flaps and thus prevent them from being opened and where the matrix array is moved bodily and permits the delivery flaps to be opened. The individual occupants of an apartment or office block are given keys for their own mailboxes and none other and can collect mail from their assigned mailboxes only, and the postman has the master key which enables the posting flaps to be collectively unlocked for delivery of mail items.
A problem that arises with the system of GB-A-2289500 is that the mail delivery flaps limit the size of package which can be delivered. Larger packages which will not fit through the delivery flaps may be left half in and half out of the respective flap or may be left on top of the mailbox array and in either case are not secure. Alternatively the postman has to hand carry the package to the respective apartment or office which obviates the advantages of providing a multi-compartment mail box in the first place.